Method of and apparatus for dispensing fluent materials



Dec- 31, 1968 G. H. sTEwA-RT ETAL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING FLUENT MATERIALS Filed Oct. 18419.66

FIGURE FIGURE 3 FlGURE 2.

United States Patent 3,419,193 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FR DISPENSING FLUENT MATERIALS Iain G. H. Stewart, North Rand, Transvaal, and Michael S. Hunt, East Lombardy, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa, assignors to African Explosives and Chemical Industries Limited, Johannesburg, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa Filed Oct. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 587,567 Claims priority, application Republic of South Africa, Oct. 22, 1965, 65/5,702 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-183) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Method and apparatus for dispensing fluent material from a container wherein the container, with its top open, is enclosed in an open-topped vessel, the vessel is sealed in fluid-tight manner by means of a removable top closure member and pressure fluid is then admitted into the vessel against the top of the material in the container, the material being thus forced into the inlet end of a discharge conduit positioned near the bottom of the container for discharge. The method and apparatus are particularly useful for dispensing a slurried blasting explosives mixture into boreholes.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for dispensing fluent materials from containers, more particularly materials in the form of tlowable, coherent masses.

In modern mining and quarrying practice, the use of slurried explosives mixtures for blasting purposes has been gaining increasing favour. The usual method employed for charging boreholes with these explosives mixtures has been to pour the mixtures into the boreholes directly from containers or through pipes or hoses or by inserting plastic bags containing the explosives mixtures into the boreholes. While these methods may be suiciently adaptable in charging boreholes of large diameter, they are inappropriate for loading boreholes of smaller diameters, especially where such boreholes are situated in positions difficult to approach or are at angles awkward for the opeartor to load. The development of slurried explosives mixtures has emphasised the growing necessity for improving borehole loading procedures.

It is an object of this invention to minimise the disadvantages inherent in present ways of charging boreholes with slurried explosives mixtures.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for loading boreholes more easily under diihcult mining conditions.

This invention therefore provides a method for dispensing fluent materials from containers consisting in enclosing an opened container of the material within an open-topped vessel, sealing the vessel in huid-tight manner by means of a removable closure member fitted to the vessel, admitting pressure fluid through an inlet into the vessel and ejecting the material through a delivery conduit communicating through the closure member with the material in the container.

The opened neck of the container may be secured around the top of the vessel to seal it in fluid-tight engagement therewith by means of the removable closure member.

The invention further provides apparatus for dispensing tluent materials from containers comprising an opentopped vessel to receive a container of the material, a removable closure member for the vessel to seal it in fluid-tight manner, an inlet for pressure fluid and at least 3,419,193 Patented Dec. 31, 1968 ICC one delivery conduit communicating through the closure member with the material in the container.

The removable closure member may be adapted to cover the opened neck of the container to secure it around the perimeter of the top of the vessel and seal it in iluidtight engagement therewith.

In any embodiment of this invention, the vessel is of suitable strength and rigidity to withstand the forces imposed on it by the pressure fluid. The removable closure member or lid, capable of sealing the vessel in a fluid-tight manner, is itted with a delivery conduit or pipe which terminates above and, preferably, adjacent the floor of Ithe vessel. The conduit has at least one orifice in or near its upstream extremity within the vesel. The opposite end of the conduit for discharging the contents of the container from the vessel may be any distance from the outer surface of the closure and the length of the conduit may be increased by .providing connecting means on its discharge end for joining it to other pipes and delivery devices.

An inlet for pressure fluid is provided on the closure member of the vessel, the inlet being connected to a source of pressure uid when in use. A pressure relief valve is associated with the pressure iuid inlet the pressure fluid being, preferably, compressed air.

A convenient material of which the container may be made in the exercise of this invention is a flexible material, such as a yieldable plastics material.

According to a practical application of this invention, an opened container or bag holding a quantity of a slurried explosives mixture is placed within the open vessel. The vessel is then sealed by means of the closure member or lid, the delivery conduit extending downwardly into the mixture and terminating within the container adjacent the floor of the vessel. Pressure fluid, preferably compressed air, is admitted from a source of supply through the inlet to the vessel and the pressurised mixture enters the conduit at or near its upstream extremity to be delivered by its discharge end into the borehole in which that end has been inserted.

The operator may connect the discharge end of the conduit to other pipes or delivery devices for charging one borehole or two or more boreholes simultaneously. It has been found that a suitable extension for the delivery conduit is a flexible hose having at one end a rigid plastic or metal tube for insertion to the blind end of a borehole. The tube may be marked at regularly spacedapart intervals. As the mixture being delivered or extruded fills the hole and displaces the tube from it, the operator is able by this visual means to estimate the depth to which the hole has been filled before interrupting or stopping the admission of pressure iluid to the vessel. Excess pressure in the vessel may be automatically relieved through a valve associated with the pressure fluid inlet.

The delivery of slurried explosive mixtures from the vessel may be remotely controlled by valve or other means sited on the downstream side of the delivery conduit or any extension thereof. The delivery of these mixtures may also `be remotely controlled by pressure uid inlet control means remotely situated from the vessel.

Depending on the size of the vessel and the container used in relation to the sizes of boreholes being charged, several boreholes may be charged from one filled container. Furthermore, almost continuous charging of boreholes may be achieved by the alternate preparation and operation of more than one vessel. By increasing the speed of borehole charging operations in this manner the safety aspect of using slurried explosives mixtures is not jeopardised and blasting cost should tend to be reduced.

For 'a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following drawings in which FIGURE 1 illustrates an embodiment of the apparatus made in accordance with the invention and is a sectional view of such apparatus.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus, taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is another sectional view of the upper part of the apparatus to illustrate an alternative way of securing the opened neck of a container within a vessel.

Similar parts are indicated by the same numerals. In FIGURE 1, the open topped vessel 1 has a cylindrical wall 2 with an integral base 3. While the vessel may assume any desired shape, it is preferred to employ a cylindrical form as shown in FIGURE 2, principally for the reason of ease of manufacture. The vessel may be supported in an upright position by means of legs 4 extending horizontally from the base 3. At least three such legs are required, following normal engineering practice.

The vessel 1 is fitted with a removable closure member or lid S in the side wall of which is an external annular groove 6 to accommodate a exible or resilient O-ring to ensure an air tight seal between vessel 1 and closure member 5. A conduit 7 passes through the closure member 5 and extends downwards through the interior, and substantially co-axially of, the Vessel to a position adjacent the iioor of the base 3. The floor may be planar. Preferably, the floor slopes from the wall 2 towards a central well S, within which is located the upstream end of the conduit 7.

As may be seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, this end of the conduit is provided with iins 9 carrying a disc or base plate 10. The fins and base plate serve to protect the entrance 11 from damage due to mishandling when the closure member and conduit are removed from the vessel.

The downstream end 12 of the conduit 7 is suitably shaped or reduced in diameter for insertion into the end of a pipe or other delivery device. Alternatively the end 12 may be provided with a suitable connecting means (not shown) for joining it to another pipe.

An inlet 13 for pressure fluid is provided on the closure member 5. The inlet 13 is in communication with a pressure relief valve 14, a pressure gauge 15 and a device 16 for venting the interior of the vessel 1 to atmosphere.

Numeral 17 in FIGURES 1 and 2 indicates a container positioned Within the vessel 1. The container 17, which is opened, may be placed within the vessel 1 without securing its opened neck to the upper circumference of the vessel wall before sealing the vessel by its closure member 5. If desired, the opened neck of the container may be pressed against the wall 2 of the vessel 1 by means of an expanding clip 18 before applying the closure member S to the vessel as shown in FIGURE l. FIGURE 3 illustrates another manner of securing the opened neck of the container 17 to the perimeter of the vessel by means of the closure member 5. The opened neck of the container 17 is folded over the top of the perimeter of the wall 2 and compressed between the wall and the fitted closure member 5 to ensure an air tight seal.

The closure member 5 is retained rmly in position to seal the open end of the vessel 1 by lever 19 pivoted as at 20. FIGURES l and 3 each show a lever of simplified design but any suitable design or type of retention member may be used and there may be more than one such lever on modified embodiments of the apparatus.

In operation, an opened container 17 of a slurried explosives mixture is placed inside the open vessel 1. The container may be secured, if desired, within the vessel as previously described. The closure member S is securely fitted over the opening of the vessel and firmly retained in position by the lever 19. In closing the vessel, the conduit 7 of the closure member will have been pushed through the slurried mixture in the container and will be in the position substantially as shown in FIGURE 1.

A flexible hose (not shown), which is connected to the end 12 of the conduit 7 is inserted into a borehole, which has to be blasted, and compressed air is fed from a source (not shown) to the vessel 1 through the inlet means 13. The slurried mixture enters the conduit 7 through its entrance 11 and is conveyed through the conduit and the connected pipe into the borehole. When the borehole has been fully charged, the operator relieves the pressure in the vessel by manipulating the air pressure controls leading to inlet means 13. The pipe is then removed from the borehole to another borehole and the charging procedure repeated. On emptying the contents of a container 17, the supply of compressed air is cut off and the vessel is vented to atmosphere through the device 16. The closure member 5 is removed and the apparatus is reloaded as before.

While the invention has been described by reference to its use in charging boreholes with slurried explosives mixtures, its utility and value are not confined to such use and the invention covers all applications to which it may be put and which fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.

1. A method for dispensing a material in the form of a slurried mixture from a container therefor which comprises:

placing a container of material within a vessel which is open at the top but otherwise uid tight, the container also being open at the top,

securing said container against the inside wall of said vessel at a point below the upper extremity of said vessel,

sealing said vessel in fluid tight manner by tting a removable closure member on the open top of said vessel, said closure including a pressure Huid inlet and a material delivery conduit having an inlet end terminating near the bottom of the vessel and a discharge end extending outwardly thereof, said pressure fluid inlet being exposed when said container is substantially full, the lower extremity of said pressure tluid inlet being co-planar with the lower surface of said closure member,

positioning said closure member pressure Huid inlet and delivery conduit with respect to the open container within the vessel so that the pressure fluid inlet is in direct communication with the top surface of the material in said container and the inlet end of said delivery conduit is located within said container and near the bottom thereof,

admitting pressure fluid through said inlet into the vessel whereby pressure s directly exerted against the top surface of the material in said container and material adjacent said inlet end is forced into said inlet end of said conduit and upwardly through the conduit, and

discharging said material from said vessel through the discharge end of said conduit, the pressure fluid admitted to said vessel directly against the top surface of the material in said container constituting the sole means for discharging said material from said conduit.

2. Apparatus for dispensing a material in the form of a slurried mixture from a container therefor which comprises:

an open topped vessel with a container of said material within said vessel,

a removable closure member for the open top of said vessel whereby said vessel may be sealed in a fluid tight manner,

an inlet in said closure member, said inlet being exposed when said container is substantially full, the lower extremity of said inlet being co-planar with the lower surface of said closure member,

means for supplying pressure fluid through said inlet directly against the top surface of the material in said container,

means for securing the container against inside wall of said vessel, said securing means positioned below the upper extremity of said vessel, and

material delivery conduit extending through said closure member into said container, said delivery conduit terminating near the bottom of said container in an inlet end adapted to receive material to be discharged from said container, said discharge conduit extending outwardly of said vessel and including a discharge end to discharge material forced into said inlet end and through said conduit by pressure fluid supplied to the top surface of the material in said container, said pressure fluid constituting the sole pressure means for discharging said material from said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

